Ouachita Stories

From personal experience, I know the challenges that life brings. I also know how much more difficult life’s challenges can be to overcome without a fatherly or brotherly figure to rely on. My goal entering the Big Brother Program was to try and be this figure in a little boy’s life. I wanted to show and teach him how to become a good, trustworthy man who lives by the Lord.

I wanted to teach him how to be patient and polite with someone even if they may not return the courtesy. What I found in my experience with this program thus far is that I’m not the only one doing the teaching; my little brother is teaching me as well.Over the last two years, my little brother has taught me patience that I already thought I had. I have been given the silent treatment on more than one occasion, and I have also been tested with just how much I would let him get away with his actions when he misbehaves.

We have both grown in the experience and have created a bond that will never be broken. I wasn’t prepared with just how much I would care for him and it can be scary sometimes. I knew eight year olds were reckless, but he scares me half to death. This being said, our experiences together have been wonderful.

The Big Brother Program means so much to me because of the opportunities it has given me. It allows me to teach him of God’s love and give him guidance through the most crucial time in a young man’s life. I couldn’t be more thankful for the Big Brother Program, and I hope many more get the chance to be this influence in someone’s life. 

By Zack Turman, senior Biology major